National Community Development Week 2026

Time to celebrate! It’s National Community Development Week! Celebrated in April each year, this year’s festivities start, today, April 6th, and run through the week.

Celebrating a federal program with plenty of red tape may not be your ideal party, but Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding is important to rural communities across the nation. Block Grant funds have been instrumental in implementing impactful changes to numerous communities that couldn’t have otherwise afforded it. National Community Development week points out the vital importance of CDBGs and how the funding has made thousands of communities better.

The Council of State Community Development Agencies typically leads the way each year. Their website is packed with information, videos, templates, and more to help make your celebration of Community Development and CDBG a success.

The National Community Development Week Tool Kit

But COSCDA isn’t the only entity celebrating. The National Community Development Association’s Facebook page also provides a full toolkit for those who want to bring attention to Community Development that week. There is a myriad of facts, sample proclamations, and social media campaigns that your community can use to celebrate the week. The full toolkit for 2026 is available here:

National Community Development Week Toolkit

Not a One Trick Pony

In the past, I’ve discussed how CDBGs can Help Maintain Affordable Housing. This federal funding source was also utilized by the City of Clarinda, Iowa, to help with downtown revitalization. But there’s a variety of unique ways to use CBDG.

However, the CDBG program can also play an important role in disaster recovery by providing flexible federal funding that communities can use to rebuild infrastructure, restore housing, and support economic recovery after major events such as floods, tornadoes, or wildfires. Through CDBG funding, state and local governments to repair damaged public facilities, rehabilitate homes, assist displaced residents, and address long-term community needs that insurance and emergency relief programs often do not cover. Because the program is flexible, communities can tailor recovery investments to local priorities.

Check out this video below from HUD that introduces the CDBG-DR program and how it can help communities after a disaster:

Start Thinking About How You’ll Use CDBG

National Community Development Week is a great time to think about your next CDBG project. It is an ideal time to prioritize those projects that may be eligible to receive CDBG funding. It’s also a good time to start gathering the data and approvals needed to start working toward applying for funding.

Whatever the project, utilize the week to start the momentum toward your next CDBG-funded project to help your community.